Thursday, 26 February 2009

Hollie-Anne Brooks dresses for wishing it was sunny.

Spring is my favourite time of year for all things fashion. Not only do we get the A/W fashion weeks (Erdem and Preen have proved to be my favourites so far) but we get that slight bit of sun which is enough to whip out those Escada/Primark sunnies even for the slightest few minutes.

I love dressing in spring because I'm such a girly girl and nothing is better than the feel of a slight breeze against my bare legs or walking around Hyde Park with no shoes on. I love the excitement that summer is round the corner and that I have no plans but to spend several hours a day in an office somewhere in London being paid to write features. Spring, for me, means jeans and flat sandals, cardigans wore unbuttoned with dresses and bare legs, homemade cotton tote bags with painted slogans and more corsages than ever.

But I'm feeling a bit sluggish of late and a bit ill so I've had a need for sun and spring more than ever. This afternoon, in the cold of the late February sky, I wore flat gold sandals with my jeans and silk top and it felt wonderful to feel the cold on my toes. I was rather freezing but there's something about the air on your toes that just feels summery and fresh and clean. I'm craving just a little more sunshine so that I can get away with plain tops, statement necklaces, jeans, flip-flops and huge sunnies more than I can currently.

So I've dressed for spring today! That mix-match feeling of open toe shoes and comfortable winter friendly trousers. This chain detail top by Balmain would be such a staple in my wardrobe and mainly worn dressed down with dark denim jeans for Sunday coffee and newspaper mornings with MYB. I've used some biker style Chloé pants but added some brown Steve Madden platforms to give less of a heavy feel and more light and summery. This incredible bag is the new love of my life and is designed by the ever wonderful Miu Miu who have also designed this super pretty pink hairband. To soften the look and make it really girly, I've used a necklace from Betsey Johnson and a ring available from Evans. Finally, to tie in with the animal print of the bag, I've selected a ring by Just Cavalli. Hope the sun turns up soon...

Hollie-Anne Brooks

Hollie-Anne Brooks is a mature student and freelance journalist. She's produced copy for everyone from AXM to Nuts to Mychild and is, in her own words, addicted to media and magazines. Outside of work, Hollie-Anne loves mittens, kittens, cupcakes, French culture, fashion and painting her nails.